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Bunion surgery abroad for public patients in the EU
Covered by your country's public health service under the Cross Border Directive.
A painful bunion can make every shoe uncomfortable and every step harder while the months on a public list go by.
Your bunion corrected without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in another EU country, paid back by your public health service. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Your right under EU law since 2011
290,000claims paid back to patients across Europe in 2024
Your rights under the schemeHow long you wait for bunion surgery depends on where you live: waiting times differ widely between EU countries, and between regions within a country. We look at your own wait with you.
Your own public health service's published waiting times; no single European figure is quoted here
Your bunion operation in another EU country, step by step.
Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.
Before you commit
Stop at any time, at no cost
Talk to us
You
Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We check your country's rules with you and tell you how the route works for bunion surgery.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You usually need a referral for bunion surgery from your own doctor, or a letter showing you are on a public waiting list for it; we tell you what your country asks for.
We determine your eligibility
Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days
You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for bunion surgery in another EU country, checked against your country's rules.
We find a private hospital
Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file
We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your bunion operation, the dates and your expected refund.
After you commit
We stay with you to the refund
Your date is confirmed
The hospital
The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
You meet your surgeon before the operation, by video before you travel or in person at the hospital, as your country's rules and the hospital allow. You have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.
We claim your refund
Ablement · within 5 working days of your return
We send your signed claim to your public health service and follow it until you are paid. How long the decision takes depends on your country; we tell you before you decide.
Your aftercare at home
Your own doctor
Your own doctor and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. Ask about dressings and any follow-up X-ray before you travel, so that nothing is left to chance.
One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.
Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.
What a bunion operation costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your bunion operation, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before your public health service pays you back.
Your public health service
Pays you back up to what bunion surgery costs in the public system at home, under your country's own rules.
The detail for a bunion operation
Your country's public health service pays back the cost of bunion surgery up to what the operation costs in the public system at home, or the invoice if that is lower, under your country's own rules; your proposal shows the expected refund for yours. The money is paid to you after the operation, into your own account, and does not cover flights, a hotel or someone to help you travel. Whether your country asks for permission in advance, called prior authorisation, we check with you on the call. The hospital confirms its price in writing before you accept; if none of them can keep within the refund, we show you the difference in writing and leave the choice to you.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a bunion operation in another EU country can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a bunion operation involves
A bunion is the big toe drifting towards the other toes, so that the joint at its base sticks out, rubs in shoes and hurts. In bunion surgery, also called a hallux valgus correction, the surgeon cuts the bone near the joint, moves it back into line and fixes it with small screws, and tightens or releases the soft tissues so the toe points straight again. It is done under a local, a regional or a general anaesthetic, and takes about an hour.
You walk in a special stiff-soled shoe for some weeks while the bone heals, keeping weight off the front of the foot, and the swelling takes months to settle. The aim is a straight toe that fits in a normal shoe and no longer hurts to walk on.
Questions about a bunion operation
Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.
All frequently asked questionsYour question isn't here?
Ask us in the chat Or send us a message from the Contact pageCan both feet be done on one trip?
One foot at a time is the usual way. If both feet are affected, tell us at the start: we ask the hospital what it advises, and you get its answer, with the expected refund, in writing before you decide. The surgeon decides with you.
How soon can I walk, drive or work?
You usually walk in a special shoe for some weeks, and the surgeon tells you how much weight to put on the foot. Driving and going back to work depend on which foot it is and the job you do, so ask the surgeon before you leave the hospital.
Who looks after my foot at home?
Your own doctor and the public system take over, just as if the operation had been done at home. Bring the discharge report to your own doctor, and ask about dressings and any follow-up X-ray before you travel so that nothing is left to chance.
Will I lose my place on the waiting list at home?
No. The Cross Border Directive does not ask you to leave a waiting list to use it, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let your hospital at home know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and your public health service pays you back afterwards; how long that takes depends on your country, and we tell you before you decide. Some people use savings or help from their family. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.
Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?
You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your own doctor takes over as after any operation.
Why is your help free? What's the catch?
There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.
Will my health service really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and 290,000 claims were paid back across Europe in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when your country's rules are met: usually a referral, any permission your country asks for in advance, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We check your country's rules with you before you pay anything, and we prepare the claim with you.
Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?
Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.
Find out if this route can work for you
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